My MIL sold my house behind my back, bluntly stating, “No home for you now,” and she kicked me out!
The Stunt and The Stigma
On my day off, I decided to meet a friend to escape the tension. Predictably, my mother-in-law accused me of cheating again and attempted to follow me in a rather clumsy surveillance effort.
She hid behind lamp posts and the brick wall of her house, trying to stay hidden. I simply ignored her antics and continued with my plans.
At the café, as I met with my friend Sandra, who I’ve known since our college days, I noticed sudden flashes of light. My mother-in-law was taking pictures of us.
Sandra, noticing the bizarre situation, looked perplexed and asked: “What’s that?”
Ready to confront the situation head-on, Sandra stood up, prepared to address her directly, asking: “Should I say something to her?”
I quickly urged Sandra to remain seated. “No, please stay,” I said.
Sandra, sporting a pixie cut and dressed in trendy streetwear, had an androgynous charm. I half-joked that my mother-in-law might have mistaken her for a man, which sent Sandra into peels of laughter.
Finding humor in the absurdity, Sandra leaned in and pretended to hold my hand, further teasing my mother-in-law.
Each time she snapped a photo, her excitement was palpable, and her nostrils flared as if she’d discovered something scandalous. It was so ludicrous that I joined Sandra in laughter.
The whole ordeal turned into a spectacle. After enduring my mother-in-law’s antics, I felt a wave of relief and went shopping with Sandra. We enjoyed our time until we parted ways.
Predictably, my mother-in-law tailed me on the way home, ducking behind lamp posts and walls, much like before.
Sometimes I amuse myself by playing a brief game of red light, green light with her, watching her scurry to hide each time. It was amusing to engage in her bizarre game, thinking how foolish it was for her to believe I hadn’t noticed her following me.
When I arrived home and began to remove my shoes, she approached me, flushed with excitement, holding up a disposable camera.
She exclaimed: “Alice, I finally caught proof of your cheating! I’m going to send these to Arthur, so get ready.”
“Oh, really? Good luck with that,” I responded nonchalantly, which she didn’t appreciate.
She spent the rest of the time buzzing around me like an annoyed child. “Are you okay with this? It’s proof of cheating! Your face and his are clear in the photos,” she insisted, believing she had irrefutable evidence.
I responded calmly each time: “That’s fine.”
While it was unfortunate that Sandra’s appearance sometimes led to her being mistaken for a man, Arthur was well acquainted with her from our time before marriage.
Therefore, even if my mother-in-law sent a photo of me with Sandra to Arthur, he would easily recognize her just as a friend.
Despite my mother-in-law’s ludicrous antics, I had to embark on a business trip overseas. It was disappointing not to see Arthur, since he was in another country, but the trip was necessary.
I informed my mother-in-law about my upcoming travel without seeking input. To her, however, my business trip seemed like a romantic excursion.
As I prepared to leave, she smirked and remarked: “It’ll be a big problem if you come back pregnant from your romantic getaway. Arthur hasn’t seen you in a while, so it won’t be easy to pretend the baby is his.”
Her unsavory thoughts made arguing futile. I casually brushed off her comment. “Yeah, it’s just a business trip, not a romantic getaway,” and departed.
The trip proved hectic, and the days flew by. When I finally returned to the US, I was utterly exhausted, and so was my boss who had traveled with me.
Before heading home, I planned to pick up some duty-free sweets and took a moment to rest on a bench. Just then, my phone rang.
It was Sandra, and she had surprising news. “Hey Alice, welcome back! There’s something I need to tell you. Your mother-in-law showed up at the company where I work.”
Hearing that was startling. Sandra’s family’s company wasn’t the kind of place just anyone visits. Learning that my mother-in-law had visited Sandra’s workplace frustrated me.
Sandra shared how she dealt with the situation and wondered if she had gone too far. I assured her with a laugh: “No, I think it was just right.”
After wrapping up our call, I was ready to head out when my phone rang again. This time it was my mother-in-law.
“Alice, you should be back from your trip now. Did you enjoy your affair trip?” she asked mockingly.
I corrected her: “It wasn’t an affair trip, and I didn’t particularly enjoy it because it was for work.”
“Well, I’ve already sent Arthur the evidence photos,” she replied smugly.
I responded with a disinterested “Hm,” which seemed to satisfy her despite my lack of reaction. She continued, oblivious to my disinterest.
“Actually, I moved so your house is no longer there. I sold the old house, so you must be struggling without a place to go back to, but hang in there,” she said cheerfully.
I replied with a flat “Hm” as she laughed. “Enjoy your life in your new house. Thank you, and please never come back to our house. After all, you’re going to be divorced soon.”
After she hung up, I lingered in the airport momentarily, but then began to feel a sense of relief. There wasn’t anger in my heart, but rather a sense of triumph.
